Michael Leiters wapas porsche aa gaye hai as CEO (1 January se), or unke pehle big decisions mein se ek kaafi big hai. Baat ye hai ki electric Porsche 718 Cayman or Boxster ko further develop karna chahiye ya phir , itni progress hone ke despite, project ko cancel kar dena chahiye. Ye wahi cars hai jinke petrol/combustion engine versions ka production 2025 mein end ho chuka hai.
Leiters brand ke known person hai, wo 2000 se 2013 tak wahan work kar chuke hai. Porsche Cayenne ke design mein unka major role tha, or Boxster ke saath jointly unhone Porsche ko 90s ke tough phase se revive karne mein help ki. Baad mein wo Ferrari mein Head of Technology bane, phir 2 years tak McLaren ke CEO bhi rahe. Uske baad wo wapas Porsche aaye Oliver Blume ko replace karne, jo ab Volkswagen ke CEO hai (pehle dono ek saath handle kar rahe the).
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Future plans for Porsche following a challenging 2025
Around last year isi time pe Nurburging Nordschleife par electric 718 Cayman ke first tests dekhe the. Whereas 718 Boxster ke pehle tests ke liye humein summer 2023 tak peeche jaana padta hai. Means overall dekh jaaye so testing, trials or development ka process 2.5 years se bhi zyada long raha hai, or wo bhi uss sabse pehle wale groundwork ke above.
But project se close sources ke according, ye kaafi zyada ambitious ho gaya hai, As a result costs bilkul out of the control chali gayi hai. Or ye sab Volkswagen Group ke liye bilkul bad time par ho raha hai, especially Porsche ke liye, because 2025 unke liye kaafi tough raha, from above China jaise pehle profitable market mein sales bhi kaafi decline ho gayi hai.
Too high a cost
Abhi unka main market United States hi hai, jahan Trump administration ke increased tariffs ne unko kaafi hit kiya hai. Iss year ke start se Porsche ke shares around 9% down ho chuke hai (Bloomberg ke according). Furthermore, electric vehicles pe jo investment pehle hi ho chuki hai, usse wapas lena ya direction change karna unko around €1.8 billion ka loss kara sakta hai.
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Previous generation ka production 2025 mein end ho gaya tha, or abhi tak plan yahi tha ki both 718 models ko pure electric cars hi rakha jaaye, new PPE sport platform par. But Autocar ke according, company side-by-side ek aisi adaptation pe bhi work kar rahi thi jisse same platform par combustion engine bhi fit ho sake.
There is pulg in hybrid variant planned
"Cayenne EV launch hone ke baad hum apni first fully electric two-door sports car launch karenge. Honestly, past kuch months mein jitni bhi cars maine drive ki hai, unmein se ye wali mujhe personally sabse zyada excite karti hai. Humne electric motor or batteries ko center mein place kar ke mid engine layout recreate kiya hai, jisse weight distribution bilkul perfect ho gaya hai. Ye car sirf pure driving pleasure hai," former CEO Oliver Blume ne 718 EV ke baare mein kaha.
Internally ye bhi baat chal rahi thi ki ek plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version add karein, but uske liye bilkul different platform chahiye hoga, or project or bhi kuch years delay ho sakta hai. Furthermore, jo car audience mein excitement or buzz create karne ke liye bani hai, uske liye ye tech utni innovative nahi lagegi compared to original plan, jisme ise 100% electric build karna tha, jaise Alpine future A110 ke saath karne wali hai.
The option that seems more likely
Abhi ke liye koi final decision nahi hai. Ho sakta hai hum road par electric 718s dekhein, or saath hi top-end models jaise Cayman GT4 RS combustion engine ke saath aayein, agar PPE Sport platform unke liye adapt ho paata hai. Matlab simple words mein, whether design thoda different ho, public ke liye end result kuch waisa hi hoga jaisa ab Cayenne ke EV or petrol versions ke saath dekhne ko milta hai.
Leiters ko jo main problem inherit hui hai, usme se ek hai Zuffenhausen plant ka high cost. Abhi plant full capacity pe operational nahi hai because unki electric cars ki demand utni strong nahi hai. Projects jaise 718 ko halt karna rather, company more focus cost cutting pe karegi. By the way, China mein aise cuts pehle se hi start ho chuke hai.
It would fit with his situation in the races
This thing Porsche's current motorsport portfolio ke saath bhi perfectly fit hoti hai. Abhi wo endurance racing mein active hai, jahan combustion engine wali 911 GT3 R or hybrid 963 IMSA series (USA) mein compete kar rahi hai, or Penske ke saath wins bhi aa chuki hai. At the same time, Porsche ne coming years ke liye Formula E mein apna commitment or strong kar diya hai, jahan uski factory team ke aside 2 customer teams bhi hai: Cupra Kiro or Andretti Formula E.